Tower of London

Address: River Thames, Central London

Opening hours: You may have to book a visit. Until February 28, 2013, the rate is £20.90 for every adult and £10.45 for every child below 16 years old. Full time students and seniors may avail of a discount and only have to pay £17.60 each. There are also different rates for family or group packages. Just note that a portion of the ticket price is a voluntary donation that helps in the upkeep of the World Heritage site.

Even if you have not been there, you can already feel that there is something quite special about the Tower of London. It would certainly help more knowing that it is a World Heritage site, valued and protected not just as an English landmark but also as a world treasure. Though better known as the Tower of London, it is actually more formally called Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. It is a historic castle situated on the River Thames’ northern bank.

The Tower of London was founded in 1066. It was built as a sign of the Norman Conquest of England. It displays this sign well enough with its Norman military architecture. William the Conqueror built the White Tower in 1078 as a way of declaring his power and of protecting London. At that time, the tower was not regarded with awe but rather with fear and resentment as it was then the symbol of conquest and oppression. By about 1100, it even started serving as a prison, although it was not really intended to become one.

The World Heritage site also served as a grand palace in which the royal elite lived. Though named as a tower, it actually consists of several buildings. There are two rings of walls used to defend. There is a moat. The Tower of London also underwent several expansions, of which the most significant where the ones under Edward I, Henry III and Richard the Lionheart. This means that the greatest activities occurred during the 12th to 13th centuries. After this period, the layout remains distinct despite subsequent changes.

The Tower of London had been witness to several important events in English history. It had suffered sieges and battles for control. It played varied roles, such as being a priate home, a menagerie, a treasury, an armoury, a public records office and a place where the United Kingdom’s crown jewels were kept. It is no wonder that it still commands interest at the least and awe at the most.

If you want to see the tower up close, you may have to book a visit. Until February 28, 2013, the rate is £20.90 for every adult and £10.45 for every child below 16 years old. Full time students and seniors may avail of a discount and only have to pay £17.60 each. There are also different rates for family or group packages. Just note that a portion of the ticket price is a voluntary donation that helps in the upkeep of the World Heritage site.